Replaceable protecting means for collars



Aug. 17, 1965 l. R. VAUGHAN REPLACEABLE PROTECTING MEANS FOR COLLARSFiled Sept. 28. 1962 INVENTOR, m/s R. m ua/m/v United States Patent3,2tii),413 REPLACEAELE PRGTECTING MEANS FOR COLLARS llris R. Vaughan,Hamilton, Bermuda Filed Sept. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 226,968 1 Claim. (Ci.2-6il) The object of the invention is to provide improvements indetachable and replaceable means for protecting the collars of clothingfrom foreign matter excreted by and with the perspiration, and foradding to and maintaining the initial relative stiffness of the collarand adjacent marginal portions of womens collared blouses and some mensshirts as they are worn, especially during the hotter weather of thesummertime and/or in over heated interiors, or during unusual exercisewhen the wearer tends to perspire excessively, as well as duringrelatively cooler weather, when the moisture naturally excreted by thebody tends to accumulate and retain foreign matter of various kinds,such for example as that which floats in the atmosphere or is carried byvarious other articles of clothing, and the like.

Primarily having simplicity in mind, the most essential thing is toprovide a flexible, perferably porous webbing of such a substance as amoderately light weight paper (regardless of thickness), that preventsthe passage of foreign matter and has the desired degree of stiffness,while if desired it may also be an absorbent characteristic, and isinitially cut to accord in general with the shape and curvature of asmany styles of womens blouses as possible, having reference to theimmediate collar portions, and also if desired the depending extensionsof the same that are usually referred to as lapels.

Such protective element is provided upon one surface with a suitableadhesive that may be potentially active at all times, or which may be soonly when desired, as by heating, wetting, or otherwise treating it, forthe purpose of adhering to the fabric collar and thereafter setting andremaining of fixedly securing nature.

In addition the collar is provided with numerous spaced darts, cutouts,or overlapping areas, in what we will refer to as the elements bodyportion and lower edge, but that while they may extend nearly across thegreater part of the height or width of the device, they terminate andopen at or through the normal lower ends, and permit the device to curvedownwardly as it follows the corresponding curve of the wearersshoulder, while it also curves around the wearers neck in the usualmanner.

And a still further object is to provide a device of this character,which is provided with a plurality of relatively more closely spaceddarts or cutouts in the central portion of its upper edge, as forexample that which surrounds the rear portion of the wearers neck, andin its opposite lower edge portions with a plurality of darts that arespaced apart at a greater distance than those first referred to, andwhich adjacent to the opposite ends of the said device are furtherapart, where the curvature of the device is less than at the centralneck portion, and approaches the ends which are tapered for purposeshereinafter described.

With the objects thus broadly set forth, the invention comprises furtherdetails which are hereinafter fully described, when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of arepresentative preferably composite piece of tape cut so as to involvemany of the improved details hereafter described, as being illustrativeof the numerous kinds and shapes that are designed and used for thepurposes broadly set forth; FIG. 2 is a perspective View of the sametape after it has been curved to be attached to and fit within anordinary collar as hereinafter described; FIG. 3 is a perspective viewof the upper portion of a purely respresentative garment having a collarthat is equipped and protected by the improved device; FIG. 4 is arepresentative section of the rear of a slightly modified form of collarand tape; FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the uppercentral portion of a mans shirt collar equipped with the device; FIG. 6is a sectional view of the collar portion of a shirt showing it as beingequipped with the device in a different position from that shown inFIGS. 3, 4, 5; FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion ofthe device before its application to a collar and showing the protectivestrip initially'covering the adhesive upon one side; and FIG. 8 is afragmentary view of a ladys blouse having a neck curve that necessitatesthe inclusion of a different deflection or turning of the protectivedevice, as it is placed in the blouse.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a strip 1 or tape of aheight or width of approximately but slightly less than the height of astandard type of collar and of a length somewhat less than that of theaverage collar plus any usual lapel that may be present. Such a strip isalso preferably tapered towards each of its opposite ends 2, andthroughout the greater portion of its entire length is provided with aplurality of transversely cut darts 3, that lead inwardly and upwardlyfrom the normal lower edge, While it is preferable to also include asecond abbreviated set of such darts 4 that extend downwardly from theupper edge. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 in particular, it should be notedthat of the lower darts those in the center are of less distance apartthan those in the opposite end portions, those in the center allowingfor a more abrupt curvature of the adjacent neck portion than towardsthe ends, while those towards the ends allow for less abrupt and butslightly curved portions that underlie the lapels 5 of the blouse, coat,or the like, to which the device is attached.

Such a strip is also preferably tapered throughout its opposite endportions, but these tapered portions may be torn off if not needed andsuch is preferred. With such an arrangement the original strip 1 aspurchased from the store, may have its temporary protective strip 6removed from the adhesive upon its under face 7 and laid centrallyagainst the under side 8 of the collar 1 with the more closelyassociated darts 4 centrally disposed, so that the arrangement makes allof them symmetrically balanced as indicated, referring to the centrallypositioned dot-and-dash lines 10 of FIGS. 1, 2. Such an improved stripmay be employed for a considerable length of time before being detachedfrom the blouse or shirt and dis carded, but may in fact be separatedcleanly therefrom at any time without disfiguring or mutilating thecollar in the slightest way.

The improved tape of whatever shape, length and width, inevitablycomprises the proper length of suitable material, such as plastic, wovenor molded material (FIG. 7), to conform to the size, shape andespecially the curvature of the blouses to which it is to be associated,and that is preferably without transversely extending porosity, toprevent the passage of adhesive and perspiration from passing through itwhen in use. However, it is initially formed in such a way that it isabsolutely free to yield Within its own plane, so as to insure andmaintain perfect and complete conformity with the figure or shape of thewearer, when and as the wearer leans and/ or turns her head and twistsher body in various directions, during the movements made within a givenperiod and while engaged in the various attitudes encountered inassociation with others in a crowd, or as when dancing, attending adinner and talking to one or both adjacent parties, or when conformingto the various attitudes and positions associated and met with duringsuch times.

The ends of the strip may taper and be narrower than the centralportions but not necessarily so, for while many ladies wear blouseshaving collars that taper vertically, as they progress from the rear totheir depending forward ends, others may prefer collars that maintaintheir height much more uniformly from rear to front, as viewed forexample on FIG. 3. In any case, as it is intended to market the stripsthrough ladies accessory stores, either in packages of the same or ofseveral heights, they must be packed so as to be independent of oneanother, and removable freely one at a time from such package Withoutdisturbing those that are not needed at the moment. Each strip musttherefore be composed of the active strip element 1, to one face ofwhich is secured the adhesive coating 7 hereinbefore referred to, andupon the opposite surface of such adhesive is similarly attached asuitable protective strip 6 of whatever material may be preferred, asfor example one of the very thin, flexible, strips of material that aretoday formed of suitable plastic, and which is readily removed beforeand in order to permit the first-mentioned active strip to be secured bythe initially intermediate layer of adhesive to the inner surface of thecollar portion of the blouse, dress or other garment.

By referring to FIG. 4 it will be seen that this improved protectivestrip may be equally well attached to the inner surface of the collarportion of a blouse or the like, the upper edge portion of which isnormally maintained in high or upright position by means of a downwardlydefiected portion that extends from the uppermost free edge portiondiagonally outwardly and downwardly, so as to engage the upper surfaceof the body of the blouse along a line farther removed from the collarproper, so as to effectively aid in the upright stiffness of the collarand its appearance. In FIG. 8 is shown the upper rear portion of ablouse 11 whose collar 12 curves downwardly in its central portion inthe rear, making the curve of the sheltered strip in this case of theopposite direction from that of those portions that curve over theshoulders, which it will be seen at once makes it necessary for theprovision of curvatures in the opposite direction. This condition isbrought about by providing darts or transversely extending darts orcutouts 4 in the central portion of the upper edge of the strip, asindicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and while the provision of two sets of suchdarts when available adds to the universal serviceability of the stripas a Whole, it

does not detract from such serviceability when only one such set ofdarts is required.

In this description of the invention, its uses and improvements, it isto be understood that persons may make various alterations in itsconstruction and formation, to comply with the various and in fact manyforms of blouses and the like that are used so widely by women, withoutdeparting from the invention in its broadest concept and use among thepractically innumerable number of women of substantially unlimitedheight, weight, style and dress preferences, so that said invention isto be considered in its broadest possible principles or construction,attachment, function and operation, all as may be embodied within thescope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is:

A collar stiffening element, comprising a strip of waterrepellantmaterial, said strip having a central portion adapted to be secured tothe inside of a neckband of a collar, said central portion beingprovided with adhesive means for securing it to the inner surface of aneckband, closely arranged shallow cutouts along the centralneckcircling portion of one edge to permit curvature of said striplongitudinally in one direction, and intervening dart cutouts deeperthan said shallow cutouts and of less number than said shallow cutoutsin the other edge, and more closely approaching the opposite ends ofsaid strip, to permit said strip to be curved longitudinally to a lessdegree in the opposite direction to said first-mentioned curvature, andthe opposite ends of said strip being tapered to conform with and benormally secured to a hidden portion of the surface of the lapel of aladys coat or a gentlemans shirt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,992,769 2/35Post 250 2,436,696 2/48 La Rose 2l3l 2,637,034 5/53 Smith 2-60 3,022,5142/62 Kaiser 2-60 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

